I guess this is proof that direct mail and data mining still works really well in a very sick sort of way.
InfoUSA a merchant of direct response lists has been allegedly selling lists to scam artists who pray on the elderly.
In the wake of the allegations, it turns out that Bill Clinton has been paid $3.3 million in “consulting fees” by the same company among other perks worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Dick Morris, former advisor to the Clintons, (note: he’s NOT impartial!) noted this:
According to the The New York Times, InfoUSA compiled and sold lists that disclosed the names of elderly men and women who would be likely to respond to unscrupulous scams.
The Times reported, for example, that InfoUSA advertised lists of “Elderly Opportunity Seekers,” 3.3 million older people “looking for ways to make money,” and “Suffering Seniors,” 4.7 million people with cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. “Oldies but Goodies” contained 500,000 gamblers over 55 years old, for 8.5 cents apiece. One list said: “These people are gullible. They want to believe that their luck can change.”
InfoUSA sold lists to companies that were under investigation or closed down by courts because of their criminal activity. The company’s internal emails show that employees were aware that the investigation for elderly fraud involved their customers, but sold the lists anyway.
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